The Hangover Cure
by fmelikenaomily
Summary: The women of the dysfunctional Fitch family occasionally get together to catch up on recent events; or in Emily's case, get informed regularly that she can still change her mind about her sexuality. An improbable friendship begins when Katie drags Emily to her favourite watering hole "The Old Palace"; a place where the beautiful Naomi happens to work.
1. The Inevitable Meeting

"Katie, you were supposed to be here half an hour ago, where are you?"

"Calm your tits Emily, I'm nearly there! For fucks sake, you act like I've got nothing better to do than drop all my plans and come and save you from Mum."

Emily's mouth dropped open, unseen by the recipient of her phone call. "You arranged this whole fucking thing! I'm not asking you to drop your plans, I'm asking you to stick to them!" She peered through the window of the bar that her mother sat in; 'The Old Palace.' A cup of tea was placed in front of her mother, which was opposite a pint glass, both delicately placed on an old, chipped wooden table. "Anyway, do you think I showed up so I could have an in depth chat with my mother about how I can still 'earn a place in heaven if I change my mind'? No, I came to see my sister, who instead is out shagging some random guy!"

Emily had clearly struck a nerve at this comment, as what followed forced her to hold the phone a few inches away from her ear. "- And he's not some random guy! I've known him for ages, he's wanted a shag since the moment he saw me! Can't blame him, I mean look at me. But you don't know anything about..." Emily lowered the phone to her side, not wanting to hear anything about her sister's sex life, or have to endure any more lesbian digs. She sighed, pulling out a box of Marlboro cigarettes and flipping the lid open, debating whether to light one up. She raised her mobile to her ear again. "... and I'm not even at his, I'm round the fucking corner, you don't know what you're talking about. God Emily, since you came out you're so much more-"

"Okay Katie, lovely talking to you as usual, see you in a minute." Emily cut off her phone before Katie could retaliate. She shook her head, closing her box of cigarettes and sliding it and her mobile into her bag, before using her shoulder to push open the pub door and drag herself over to the table where her mother sat. Jenna Fitch was sitting on the very edge of the bar stool that she'd previously dusted with a tissue before perching on, and looked into her stained teacup with slight disgust.

"This is a lovely place." She said, not even attempting to sound sincere.

"Katie chose it." Emily replied, taking a large drink out of her pint glass. "She's nearly here, by the way."

"Oh, good." Jenna sounded much more sincere at this comment.

The pair sat in silence for the next few minutes, looking down at the table. Emily's mother was the first to attempt to continue the conversation.

"So, are you courting anybody at the minute? Any interests?"

"No. No special woman in my life at the minute."

Jenna flinched at the word 'woman'. She didn't approve of Emily being gay. Emily, however, knew this, and tended to drop it into any conversation about her relationships that occurred. She knew Jenna would never accept who Emily was, but that didn't stop her from drilling it into her mother whenever it was brought up. Jenna tended to do the same. As though her words might somehow spark something in Emily that made her realise she was just being childish and immature. As though she would realise that being gay is clearly a choice, and that her bringing it up could help Emily decide not to be.

The silence once again dominated the table. The pub was fairly quiet anyway. The only background noise consisted of the practically inaudible music coming from behind the bar, and the soft conversation of the one other occupied table from the other end of the pub. Again, it was Jenna Fitch that broke the silence. "Oh look. Here's your sister now!"

The elder of the Fitch twins burst into the pub, a fake smile plastered onto her face, which was coated in perfectly applied makeup. "Hello Mum, Emily. I'll be over in one second."

Katie walked over to the bar, where the fake smile fell into a tired expression. The middle-aged barman immediately struck up a conversation with her. "I see you've finally managed to drag your sister to our humble abode, Katie." He glanced over at the table, where Emily and Jenna sat arguing.

"Yeah, I'm not about to go and sit in some fucking artsy cafe drinking French tea with them. I don't think I'll get through this without a real drink."

"So you want the usual?" He replied, grabbing a pint glass from under the bar.

"Please. Naomi in today?" Katie asked, her voice riddled with mischief.

"Her shift starts in fifteen minutes. Do me a favour Katie, just leave it for today? She's the only other person I've got working this afternoon, and I can't be arsed to get someone else in." The barman looked at her pleadingly, but with a faint smile.

"Paul... would I ever do anything bad?" Katie grinned, taking the pint of beer that had been placed directly in front of her. "You know she doesn't care. Anyway, I wouldn't do it if you didn't laugh so much."

Paul chuckled. "It's not my fault it's funny. Don't worry, that's on the house." He held his hand up, rejecting Katie's money.

"You're too good to me Paul." Katie flipped her hair and grinned flirtatiously at the barman, before heading towards the table where her mother and Emily sat.

"Hello Katie, lovely to see you. You're looking well." Jenna smiled at her. A smile that Emily rarely saw when she was in her presence.

"You too Mum." Katie replied, a sickly sweet grin still stuck on her face. Emily took a few more drinks of her pint, rolling her eyes subtly as she did so. "Emily, I thought you didn't drink during the day?"

"I don't." She replied, glaring at Katie and taking a slightly smaller sip of her drink.

"The pint you're demolishing begs to differ."

"It's a special occasion. Family get together. You know." Emily grimaced, finishing the small remainder of her pint and slamming the glass on the table. "I need another drink."

"Something stronger? Maybe some hard 'lick-her', babe?" Katie smirked, clearly amused at her own joke. Jenna didn't seem to notice the dig towards Emily regarding her sexuality. Either that, or she chose not to acknowledge it. Either seemed a plausible explanation.

* * *

As the conversation turned towards Katie and her successful career, relationships, and generally how well she was doing, Emily took this as her cue to get another drink. She walked towards the bar, grabbing her bag, and slumped onto the bar stool. She was almost pleased that there was nobody behind the bar to serve her; it gave her an excuse to get away from the others for an extra few minutes.

Suddenly the pub door swung open. Emily turned around curiously, noticing a blonde haired woman rushing into the building. She was weighed down with bags, and dressed in black trousers and a black polo shirt. Even still, Emily thought she looked stunning, and couldn't help but stare. The blonde glared at Emily for a moment and rolled her eyes angrily, before hurrying towards the bar. "For fucks sake," she muttered under her breath, before heading through the staff door. "Paul?"

Emily sat on the bar stool confused. She had no idea what she'd done to upset a girl who she'd never even spoken to. _'Was I staring too much? Did she notice?'_ Emily thought to herself, feeling more and more embarrassed. She stood up from the bar stool, reaching down to pick up her bag and head outside before she upset the blonde haired beauty any more, when she was interrupted.

"What do you want? I'm not supposed to start for ten minutes which means I'm technically not working. So if you take the piss out of me, I will hit you." The blonde swept the hair out her eyes, and looked at Emily. Emily dropped her bag again, and looked up. Her eyes met striking blue ones, and she seemed to lose the ability to speak. Briefly.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," she stammered. "I'll go..."

"Wait." The blonde looked at her with a look of confusion. This wasn't Katie. Those eyes... That voice. They were definitely not Katie. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else... Are you-"

Her speech was interrupted by a loud cackle coming from a table nearby. The pair looked towards the table, to see Katie and Jenna laughing with one another.

The blonde looked back towards Emily with a look of realisation and smiled enthusiastically. "So. You're the other Fitch."


	2. Blondie and Ginger

"Sorry, I'm here, I'm here." Paul gently pushed the blonde to the side, and spoke to Emily. "Hello love. What can I get you?" Emily's eyes remained locked on the girl, who returned the favour. She grinned cheekily, before breaking her gaze and turning to the barman. "Err, I'll have the..." Her eyes kept glancing up at the blonde, then back to Paul, then down at the floor. "Um..." If anybody else saw her, there's a good chance that they would mistake her nervousness for an epileptic fit.

"She'll have a triple vodka and coke." Katie's voice cropped up behind Emily, giving her a shock. "And I'll have the same, thanks Paul."

Emily turned to her sister, whose face had turned into a frown, as Paul agreed and began to make their drinks. "Why the fuck did you leave me with her?"

Emily sighed. "At least she actually likes you. You two seem to be having a right old time." Emily looked up, in an attempt to meet the gaze of the tall blonde who had invaded her thoughts for the past few minutes once more, but she was gone.

"You think I genuinely laugh like that? Pretending we all actually like each other is getting more and more difficult." The twins grabbed their glasses and headed back to the table, where Jenna once again was inspecting her stained teacup.

"So..." she said, looking up with a small sigh. "Katie's work is going well. How is yours going Emily?"

"Fine." Emily answered, her mind preoccupied.

"... Just fine?" Jenna pressed on, attempting to make conversation, even though it was clear that not one of the conversers wanted to be present.

"Yep. Just fine."

A few moments later, the occupier of Emily's thoughts appeared at the table. To collect glasses, Emily assumed. She stared at the blonde, blocking out her family's speech.

It was clear Katie had met this girl before, and they didn't seem to be anything like friends. "Why don't you work in a lesbian bar? Even the pool tables have no balls." Katie grinned.

"Funny." The blonde scowled, reaching out to pick up Katie's empty pint glass, but before she could get a hold on it, Katie's arm swept across the table, knocking it onto the ground.

"Oops."

The smash of the glass against the hard floor caught Emily's attention. She looked up to see the smile on her sister's face. "Really Katie? How old are you?"

"I'm six minutes older than you." Katie ignored the sarcasm in Emily's voice, and glared up at the blonde, who was clearly angry. "Anyway, it was an accident. Calm down."

The blonde smiled sweetly. Emily bit her lip to prevent a grin. Even her bitterness was adorable. The blonde's smile didn't go unnoticed by Katie, either, who watched as she leaned over the table to look at the broken glass, knocking Katie's drink over as she did it. "Oops," she said, as she watched the drink stream across the table and over Katie's top.

"You fucking arsehole! This shirt is ruined now!"

"Katie, it's just a black top, it's fine." Emily said, hiding the smile that was threatening to take over her face. The blonde looked at her and smirked.

"It was an accident. I'll fetch you another drink." She said, picking up the remaining empty pint glass and the now empty glass of what was Katie's drink from the table. "Very sorry." She added as she walked away, sarcasm riddled in her speech.

"Fucking muff muncher." Katie said under her breath, catching Emily's attention.

"She's gay?" She questioned, trying to hide her eagerness. She looked towards the blonde, who glanced up and winked back. Emily blanked out for a few moments, ignoring everything that was being said by her mother and sister. Her head was too busy thinking about something else. Someone else.

Then, that someone else walked back towards the table, armed with a brush and shovel and a dishcloth, snapping Emily back into reality, and back to listening to the words of wisdom Jenna Fitch was currently sharing.

"As I said sweetie, people naturally experiment, and I understand that you feel you need to branch out, and have a different identity from your sister. But heaven has a place for everyone-"

Coming back from such an interesting train of thoughts to hear this being said pushed Emily over the edge. "Jesus Christ Mum, will you just stop? You're not even religious! I'm going for a tab." Before either of them could object, Emily grabbed her bag and made for the door. She was followed by a sympathetic look from the blonde, who had paused from sweeping up the shards of glass to watch the redhead walk out of the pub. Emily stopped before she reached the door, turning around to yell a final comment at her mother before exiting. "Who has tea at a fucking pub anyway?"

* * *

Emily shivered slightly as the door closed behind her. She pulled out her cigarettes, her hands shaking slightly, and lit one up. Taking a deep drag, Emily sighed contently, and leaned against the wall of the pub.

"You okay?" A familiar voice cropped up next to her, sending a slight shiver down her spine. Emily nodded, smiling at the girl who had recently fought back against her sister. Very few people were brave enough to fight back against bitch Fitch.

"You know, I think I'd rather go to hell anyway. Heaven's only going to be full of boring arseholes who don't smoke or drink or have a fuck load of sex. Sounds shit."

Emily smiled, taking a drag of her cigarette and nodding.

"Plus anywhere in heaven that might sell anything would be closed on Sunday. How am I supposed to get my hangover cure when no fucker works on the Sabbath day?"

Emily stopped nodding, at the realisation that she was starting to look like a bobble head doll in a car windscreen. "What's your hangover cure?" she asked.

"Mac and Cheese with tomato ketchup. And Garibaldis. Don't forget the Garibaldis."

"That sounds... revolting. Anyway, surely you could just buy everything the day before?"

"Rocket science your forte, is it?" She smiled at Emily. "I've tried that before. But I usually end up getting so rat arsed the night before that I eat it there and then. You don't know the disappointment of waking up thinking you're sorted for food, then finding that you've gone and eaten it already."

Emily laughed, taking another drag of her cigarette. "Okay. I see the dilemma."

"You also don't know the disappointment of the neighbours as the fire alarm goes off at 4am... Oh, and don't knock it til you've tried it." The blonde said, lighting up a tab of her own, and raising her eyebrows. "I'm serious."

The pair stood in silence for a few moments. Not an uncomfortable silence, like that when Emily was with her mother. Just an appreciating-the-company kind of silence.

"So, have you got a name, or shall I just call you Blondie?" Emily grinned at the blonde's expression; she was attempting to be angry, but her mouth was slowly curving at the corners into a grin.

"Blondie? Really?" She asked, taking another drag.

"Is that your answer, or did you not understand the question?" Emily said playfully.

"Alright, you call me Blondie." The blonde grinned, before continuing. "And I'll call you Ginger."

"Hey, I'm not ginger! This is red." Emily laughed, grabbing a piece of the hair that fell beside her face.

"Close enough."

"How is red even vaguely close to ginger?" Emily squinted her eyes, as she knocked the end of her cigarette.

"Well, strawberry blonde. Ginger. Redhead. The whole potato, tomato argument."

Emily grinned. "Alright Blondie. I suppose you could call me Emily."

"Is that your name, or just what you what me to call you?" The blonde mimicked Emily's previous sarcastic response. "I guess you could call me Naomi."

"Naomi. Cute."

"Cute?" Naomi questioned, with a giggle. "That's the first time I've heard that response."

"What can I say. I'm a unique person." Emily smiled as she answered.

"Everyone's unique. We're all one of a kind..." Naomi looked towards Emily. "Ironic, isn't it?"

Emily nodded, taking a final drag of her cigarette, before stubbing it out against the wall. "So, in the least cheesy way possible, I'll ask, do you come here often?" she asked, changing the subject, eager to learn more about Naomi.

"In the least cheesy way possible, I'll reply, I'm here most of the time." Naomi said, still smoking.

Emily wore a look of confusion as she replied. "That wasn't cheesy at all."

"I know. I said in the least cheesy way possible."

The pair giggled childishly, as Naomi continued smoking. "Fair enough. Very literal of you, Naomi, but you've got a point." She paused, smiling. "So, you're here a lot... Raging alcoholic, or just a hard worker?"

"Hmm. Good question." Naomi replied. "I'd say a bit of both."

"My kind of girl." Emily answered, before blushing slightly at how forward she was being.

"I'm glad." Naomi smiled softly. "Though to be honest, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I've just covered your sister in what is essentially fizzy vodka.

"That might have something to do with it." Emily laughed. "Be on full alert. She'll get you back for that."

"I think I can handle it." Naomi said, a sly grin on her face, as she dropped the butt of her cigarette on the floor and stamped on it. She turned to Emily and gestured to go back inside. "By the way, there's another bad point about going to heaven. The cheese there would be terrible. "

"...How exactly would you know that? I don't suppose you've been to some sort of cheese and wine party in heaven recently, have you?" Emily raised her eyebrows at Naomi.

"No. I just know it'd be bad. It'd be so holey." Naomi grinned at Emily's blank expression. "Holy? Holey? Cheese?" The redhead shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Aw come on Ems, it took me a while to think of that one!"

Emily's heart fluttered slightly at the nickname. It was as though they'd known each other for much longer than ten minutes. As they turned to go back inside the pub, they both reached for the handle, their hands brushing past each other. Emily pulled away immediately, feeling an intense connection between them; it was electric. She smiled shyly, walking through the door Naomi had pushed open for her and looked back toward her dysfunctional family, who had started collecting their bags and standing up.

"Looks like we're heading off now," Emily said to Naomi, who was looking nervously towards the bar. "It was nice to meet you Naoms. Thanks for pouring a drink on my sister."

"Anytime." Naomi replied, equally enthusiastic about the new nickname she'd acquired as Emily had been about her own. "If you come back some time, I'll happily do it again. She's here a lot."

"Now there's an offer I can't refuse." Emily grinned, putting a hand out for Naomi to shake, before looking down at it and going an indescribable shade of pink. "Okay, I'm not sure why I did that. Sorry."

Naomi laughed, and reached out, shaking the hand in front of her. "It was great to meet you."

"Oi, Rainbow. We're heading. I'm coming back to yours to borrow one of your shirts; my house is too far away, and I am not going home like this." Katie's voice echoed through the whole room as she walked towards Emily. "Let's go." She grabbed the sleeve of Emily's arm and dragged her to the door. Emily smiled at Naomi, who was watching the scene and holding back muffled laughter.

"It was nice to meet you Ginger." She yelled after Emily.

Emily laughed. "You too, Blondie."

* * *

**AN: Thanks to everyone who's reading this, and for the lovely reviews. You made me make an "asfhlkashglairuf" noise. Sorry if it doesn't flow particularly well, I'm fairly new to this whole FanFic writing business. Learning by doing. In fact, I'm not entirely sure whether this is going to create an author's note, or if I'm just going to look like a tit. We'll find out soon enough.**

**Thanks again, you're all awesome!**


	3. The Fitch Twins Converse

The walk back to Emily's house was fairly short. She barely lived five minutes away, so listening to Katie's complaints about their mother (who had fortunately needed to go in the opposite direction to the girls) wasn't too enduring. However, Emily felt a little uncomfortable when the topic switched to Naomi. "Did you see her? She's meant to treat me with respect, I'm a fucking valued customer in there!"

"You did purposely knock the glass off the table."

"Who's side are you on Em? She's out to get me. Either that or she just fancies me. I wouldn't be surprised; I'm like lesbian eye candy."

"She doesn't fancy you." Emily said certainly, a smile playing at her lips. "If you hate her so much, why do you go to that pub? It's about 20 minutes away from your house, and all you do is get pissed off with Naoms."

"Me and Paul go way back, he hooks me up with free drinks. And what did you just call her?"

"Who?" Emily said, slightly afraid she'd given something away.

"Naomi. You called her Naoms." Katie sighed, and a shocked expression took over her face. "Oh fuck, you're shagging her, aren't you? Is there like, some weird lesbian cult circle that I'm not part of because I don't fancy fanny? You all know each other, it's not even weird now, it's fucking scary!"

"Shitting hell Katie, no, I'm not shagging her! I've talked to her once, we just smoked together." Emily sighed and looked at her feet as she walked, hiding the way her cheeks had blushed slightly. Growing up together, Katie and Emily spent a lot of time with one another, which meant Katie could read Emily like a book. "We just smoked and talked."

"Oh yeah?" Katie asked suspiciously. "What did you talk about? How much you both love rainbows and flannel shirts?"

"Yeah Katie, not to mention the long conversation we had about strap-ons and vibrators, and why vaginas and tits are so much hotter than dicks and hairy chests. Jesus, no, we just talked about normal things. Just because I'm gay doesn't mean every aspect of my life revolves around my sexuality. I don't wake up and pour a packet of rainbows drops down my throat, just like you don't wake up and shove a hot dog down yours. Now can we please just drop this?"

"Someone's on their rag." Katie muttered under her breath, as the pair turned the corner and reached the door of Emily's apartment. "Don't take your shit out on me babe. I'm only trying to protect you from that blonde haired bitch."

"I don't need protecting, Katie. I'm a big girl." The front door swung open, and Emily and Katie made their way up the stairs of the apartment and into the living room. Katie stopped on the landing briefly to check that her lip gloss hadn't smudged in the mirror, while Emily found a spare shirt for her twin. "Here." She said, tossing it to Katie, who looked down at it in disappointment. "What?"

"Red isn't really my colour. Doesn't go with my complexion. Have you got anything darker?" Katie scanned the room, looking for something that she would deem 'more suitable', holding out the red shirt she'd been given for Emily to take back.

Emily crossed her arms, refusing to reach out and take the top, before bitterly replying. "I think it goes better with your complexion than a wet stain on a black shirt does, and the stench of vodka is a lot less noticeable. Take it or leave it."

"Eugh, fine. I suppose I'm doing you a favour anyway. It'd look even worse on you. I can make anything look decent. No offense, obviously." Katie spoke as she made her way towards the bathroom to change.

Emily clenched her teeth and took a deep breath. "None taken," she replied sarcastically. "And you're welcome." She slumped onto the sofa and closed her eyes. Thoughts of Naomi immediately invaded her head, and she couldn't help but smile as she remembered the conversation they'd shared.

* * *

"Yeah, this looks pretty good actually." Katie said as she emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, looking down at the shirt. "Thanks Em."

Emily didn't let her sister distract her from thinking about the beautiful blonde she'd met. Not only was she beautiful and funny, she also wasn't afraid of the Bitch Fitch; an achievement in Emily's books.

"Emily! Are you deaf? I'm going!" Katie nudged Emily gently, who stood up and hugged her sister goodbye. "Laters lesbo. Speak to you soon, yeah? Next time without Mum though, we can have a proper night at the pub. Promise?"

"Sure. Bye Katie." Emily absent-mindedly agreed to her sister's suggestion, before realising what she'd agreed to. A night at the pub? Drunk Katie, drunk Emily and possibly a sober, serving Naomi? She couldn't decide whether that would be tragic or brilliant. Either way, her sister was not good at keeping plans. Chances are this night would never happen anyway.

As she heard the door slam shut, Emily was finally alone to her thoughts in her own apartment. Again, she wasn't entirely sure whether this was a good thing, considering the majority of her thoughts were occupied by somebody she'd only met under an hour earlier. She knew so little about Naomi.

Let's see. Naomi is gay. She works at 'The Old Palace'. She likes drinking. She likes smoking. She can't wait to go to hell, because she can have lots of sex and eat good cheese. Speaking of which, her hangover cure was mac and cheese, tomato ketchup, and Garibaldi biscuits. And of course, she was quite possibly the most beautiful girl that Emily had ever met. Even in a work uniform.

However, Emily didn't know how old Naomi was. If she goes to university. Where she lives. Her parents. Any siblings. Is she a dog person or a cat person? Christ, even her last name was a mystery. However, that was one thing she could find out. Emily pulled out her mobile, and began to type out a text to Katie.

**'Hey K. Weird question.**

**What's Naomi's last name? **

**E x'**

She read over the text, before adding to it slightly.

**'Hey K. Weird question. **

**What's Naomi's last name? **

**Btw, that top did look better **

**on you than it did on me. E x'**

That should sweeten it up. Send.

Emily put her phone onto the table and stood up to switch on the TV. She grabbed the remote and began flicking through the channels, searching for something interesting to watch. Within seconds, she received a response. Her mobile buzzed loudly against the glass pane of the table.

**'Knew you wanted to fuck her.**

**You're such a dyke. Campbell.**

**K x'**

This was going to be more difficult than Emily had anticipated.

**'Ffs, fine. I want to fuck her.**

**She's fit. So sue me. Now tell**

**me her real last name please? **

**E x'**

Send.

**'Thought you had better taste**

**than that babe. Well fuck 'em **

**and chuck 'em as i say. I've just**

**told you, her name's Naomi **

**Campbell. K x'**

Emily groaned, rubbing her forehead angrily. There were times that Katie could be a complete pain in the arse.

**'I may not be as into fashion as**

**you, but even i know Naomi **

**Campbell is a model. And is **

**black. My Naoms isn't black. E x'**

Again, Emily sat and waited for a response. She finally settled on a music channel and left the television on. Living on her own was difficult sometimes, and it was nice to have some background noise. Even so, when people like her sister came over, Emily was always eager to get them on the other end of the door again.

**'YOUR NAOMS? Fucking hell em, **

**you've known her 2 mins. Calm it**

**down. And i know you dick, how **

**many John fucking Smiths are there**

**in the world. There can be more **

**than one Naomi Campbell. K x'**

Oh, fuck it. She could be telling the truth.

**'If you're lying, I'll personally **

**come over there and strangle **

**you. If not, thanks. E x' **

* * *

Emily put her phone back on the table and went back to daydreaming. Not about Naomi, because that would be weird. Well. Maybe a little. How beautiful and tall and slim Naomi was. Her wit and sarcastic nature. How caring she seemed. Emily couldn't seem to get the blonde off her mind. After an hour and a half of attempting and failing to distract herself, Emily decided to get some fresh air. She pulled on her coat and grabbed her keys, phone and purse, and trudged down the steps and out of her apartment into the street. She mindlessly wandered around, no aim or intention; just enjoying the fresh air. After ten minutes, she found herself once again outside 'The Old Palace'. However, showing up at a pub alone after leaving with others just a few hours ago seemed a little creepy. Instead, she found a small cafe just up the street, where she ordered a coffee and sat at a table by the window.

Emily sat and stirred her coffee intimately, occasionally glancing out of the large windows; it had been a few short hours since she'd met a girl, and that girl had already occupied her entire mind. She had no idea how, considering how little she knew about Naomi, but she felt a strange connection to her; she was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Literally. She'd somehow ended up mindlessly wandering and almost accidentally walked right back into the pub. And for some reason, she felt that Naomi felt the same way. They just needed to get to know each other a little better. Meaning Emily needed an excuse to see Naomi again. She needed to find-

"Hey Ginger. Mind if I join you?"

-Naomi. _'Nice work, whoever it is up there...'_ Emily thought to herself. _'But I'm still going to hell...'_

* * *

**AN: Hello again! Just a quick thank you to everyone that's reading, and everyone that's left lovely reviews. They make me smile, and want to keep writing it. You're all great. Surprisingly, I've managed to update this one fairly quick. The only thing that I am fast at doing.**

**(Innuendo not intended, but take it whatever way you want to.**

**... Again, innuendo not intended.)**

**So, I love you all, and very much appreciate your reviews and favourites and story alerts. I wish we could all just meet up and I'd read it to you round a campfire while we ate marshmallows. But that would be very weird and tiring, so I'll just keep posting it here instead. The next update will probably be in a few days!  
**


	4. Enter: Effy

"Hey Ginger. Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, take a seat Blondie." Emily grinned at Naomi."So what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Ems." Naomi sat at the table, putting down the coffee and the blueberry muffin she'd just ordered.

"I just came for a wander. This seemed like a nice place to sit and think..."

"Think about what?" Naomi asked, interested.

"Just stuff. You know. Err... How about you? Shouldn't you be working?" Emily changed the subject, tripping on her words a little as she spoke.

"I'm on my break. I come here every day. They do the best blueberry muffins I have ever tasted. You should try one, seriously." Naomi said, taking a bite of her own.

"I'm alright." Emily replied, shaking her head.

"Nope. You have to try it. Here, have a bite of mine. And be fucking privileged that I'm offering, I don't like to share." Naomi held up the muffin to Emily's face enthusiastically, and Emily grinned. She couldn't turn down this offer. She slowly moved her head in, and took a small bite from the blueberry muffin that was resting in Naomi's hands. "What are you, a gremlin? Have a bigger bite than that, you didn't even get any blueberries." Naomi bit her lip, as she watched Emily take a bigger bite. She couldn't help but smile as Emily awkwardly pulled away, holding her hand up to her mouth to brush away crumbs from her lips.

"Alright, that is a good muffin." Emily said, as she finished her bite.

Naomi giggled at the slight innuendo, and took another bite for herself."Damn right it is. So... Emily Fitch."

"So. Naomi..." Emily stopped. Katie had a habit of being a complete bullshitter, and she didn't want to sound like an idiot if Naomi's last name wasn't Campbell. Then again, she also didn't want to sound like a stalker if it was. "... What's your last name?"

"Campbell. Don't laugh. I'm not quite as pretty as the supermodel I'm afraid, and I'm quite a bit paler."

"I beg to differ." Emily flirtatiously replied, surprised that Katie had actually been a help in this situation.

"No, I really am paler. She's Jamaican see. And I'm white."

"I meant about the prettiness you dick." Emily laughed as she spoke, before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Alright, no need for that. And right back at you." Naomi said with a cheeky grin. "Though you're not named after a famous supermodel. You don't have the pressure forced upon you to be beautiful." Naomi joked, making Emily laugh aloud. "You're just pretty because you are." Naomi blushed a little, feeling as though she'd said too much. "That was a bit cheesy."

"It's alright, you like cheese - as long as it's not from heaven." Emily grinned at Naomi, remembering their previous conversation. "Though I warn you, if Katie still needs to get back at you, she's probably got this whole place wired. She can hear everything you're saying."

"Why does that matter?" Naomi chuckled, slightly confused.

"In case you hadn't noticed, me and Katie are twins."

"No way!" A naturally sarcastic reply came from Naomi.

Emily laughed, but continued. "What I mean is, anything nice you say about my appearance, you're saying about Katie's, too."

"Hmm..." Naomi sat, thoughtfully looking at Emily. "It's weird. You're identical twins, but you don't really look identical. I mean, yeah, the first time I saw you I mistook you for her... But in my defence, I was in a right stress so I didn't get a proper look at you. I also figured she'd gone on 'Snog Marry Avoid' or something and they'd made her looking fucking hot. "

"Thanks?" Emily narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, trying to work out if what she'd just heard was a compliment.

Naomi grinned at her. "You're welcome." Emily couldn't hold back a smile, as the pair sat in silence for a few moments. Naomi looked at her watch."My break ends soon." She said grimly. She looked up, to see slight disappointment on Emily's face. "But hey, I finish work at about nine, and think I'm going to be hanging around at the pub for a while with some friends... You know, if you wanted to come along, it'd be cool to see you there." Naomi said, acting confident but a little scared that she was being too forward.

"Sounds fun," Emily said, trying to contain her excitement. There was a hint of shyness in her voice that Naomi found incredibly cute. "I'll see you there."

Naomi grinned, and the pair both took a long drink of their coffees, before the blonde stood up, picking her bag from the floor. Emily also stood up, putting her coat back on and shoving her purse back into the pocket. The pair walked out of the door, Naomi holding it open for Emily, who nodded a thank you at her.

"Well..." Naomi said, wanting to break the silence, and struggling to think of how she should say goodbye. _'Don't be too forward_,_' _she thought to herself."Goodbye."

"Bye." Emily smiled, an infectious smile. "See you later."

_'Fuck it,'_ Naomi thought, grabbing Emily's arm and pulling her in for a kiss; just a peck... At first. Emily willingly kissed her back, shocked at Naomi's sudden movement, but in no way unhappy about the situation. Naomi finally pulled away and grinned. "Yeah. See you." She turned to walk away, leaving a shocked Emily wondering what had just happened.

* * *

Emily swiped her fingers across her lips, feeling where Naomi had just been. She smiled to herself as she watched Naomi walk away, before turning to head home. She still kept her eyes on the blonde, who turned around, catching her looking, and gave her a wink. Emily's heart raced, her pace quickened out of sheer excitement; she found it difficult to stop herself from skipping back to her apartment, feeling smitten.

It was only as she neared the end of the street that Emily realised that she'd been walking in the complete wrong direction. She pulled out her mobile, pretending to check a text, before sighing and turning on her heel. She walked back past the cafe with a grin. As she was about to put her phone away, it buzzed in her hand. Impeccable timing.

"Hello?"

"Someone's happy." Effy's voice echoed through her mobile phone.

"Shut up." Emily stopped herself from smiling again. "How do you even know that?"

"I can hear you smiling."

Emily sighed, rolling her eyes. "What's up Eff?"

"Pub, tonight. Me and Katie are heading to this one near yours with some of the others, and wondered if you wanted to come along."

_Shit._ "What's it called?"

"The Old Palace." Effy didn't question Emily's intention for asking the question.

_Shit shit shit._ "I'm er... I'm already going there." Emily answered, a little too nervously.

Effy paused, before responding. "I'll be at yours in twenty minutes." The line immediately went dead.

* * *

"Okay, what's her name?" Effy asked knowledgeably, as she made herself comfortable in Emily's apartment. She pulled her legs onto the sofa, crossing them.

Emily sighed. Effy had this annoying ability to read her like a book, and there was no point in trying to act like nothing was going on. "Naomi."

"Naomi. And you're meeting her tonight," Effy said, more confirming it was true than asking.

"Yes. I really like her. I had coffee with her earlier. She kissed me before she went back to work. I'm meeting her later, after she finishes her shift." She reeled out pointless facts to help Effy understand the situation.

"At 'The Old Palace.'"

"Yes."

Effy took a sip of the drink she'd made herself as she came in. "What was it like?" Effy asked curiously.

"What was what like?"

"The kiss."

"Um... It lasted about, 10 seconds?" Emily said, unsure of what exactly Effy was asking.

"No. What was it like for you?"

Emily shrugged. She wanted to seem laid-back about the kiss, but her eyes gave her away. She paused, thoughtfully. "It was nice." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I just want to speak to her."

"So call her."

"I don't have her number." Emily grimaced, knowing what response she'd be getting from Effy.

"You don't have your own girlfriend's number?" The corners of Effy's mouth were slightly turned up into a smile as she spoke.

"She's not my girlfriend" Emily retaliated, before pausing, looking at the perplexed face in front of her. "She's... I don't know, she's just Naomi. She's this gorgeous person who for some reason decided to kiss me, do we have to put fucking labels on everything?"

Effy paused, staring at Emily intently.

"What? Don't fucking psychoanalyse me and not tell me what you think Effy, come on!"

Effy sat calmly, looking through half closed eyes, staring out Emily. Emily in return put on her best poker face. She didn't want Effy telling her how she felt when Emily herself wasn't even sure herself.

Eventually, she opened her mouth slightly. Emily flinched, waiting to hear Effy's conclusion. The brown haired girl instead pulled out a cigarette, placing it in her mouth and lighting it; her attention still completely on the redhead. She took a deep drag of smoke, before eventually averting her gaze, closing her eyes as she blew out the smoke.

"You love her."

"I don't... _love_ her." Emily said, questioning herself as she spoke. "I don't know enough about her to love her, I've known her less than a day..." She paused, thinking about it.

"Bollocks." Effy responded. "It only takes a second."

The pair sat in silence for a few moments. Emily thought about what Effy had said, and Effy just observed her. Effy was the one to interrupt Emily's thoughts. She stubbed out her cigarette as she spoke, changing the subject completely; allowing her thoughts to play on Emily's mind. "Okay. Lets start getting ready."

* * *

**AN: Hello, pe****ople of the FanFiction world! Here's the part where I praise you all for being so awesome!**

**Special thanks must go to smcl, holysheep, Shadow Apparation, and XA.R.X, for not only being lovely enough to read, but also for reviewing multiple chapters!**

**Also holysheep: It's been a few days, as promised! :D However, I'm heading down to (weirdly) Bristol for the weekend, so the next chapter will probably be posted on Monday night.  
**

**But really just a huge thanks to **_**everyone**_** who's reading. The response I'm getting is so great. Reading the lovely reviews and seeing the Story Updates and Favourites and Hits keep climbing is just amazing! Makes me feel all fuzzy inside. **


	5. Nausea vs Butterflies

Within the hour Effy was once again sitting on the sofa cross-legged, dressed in a loose black dress and black fishnet tights that clashed with her electric blue eyes. Emily was still struggling to pick an outfit. The doorbell rang.

"That'll be Katie." Effy said, not even standing to get the door.

"You invited Katie?" Emily asked, slightly annoyed, but her focus still on the two outfits she held in her hands. Effy nodded. "She's coming with us. I told you." Emily shrugged with a sigh, wondering why she didn't realise Effy would have invited her sister to return to her apartment, rather than just meeting them at the pub.

Within seconds, Katie's voice was bellowing angrily up the stairs, with the sound of her heels clacking against the wooden floor growing nearer."Fucking hell, don't worry, I'll let myself in!"

"We knew you would." Effy smiled. A very faint, but genuine smile.

Katie looked at Emily, who was preoccupied, deciding which outfit to wear. "The one on the left, with a pair of black heels." She made the decision for the younger twin, before moving onto the sofa next to Effy.

* * *

"We should get going soon." Emily said nervously, looking up at the clock on her wall.

"It's only eight, chill babe." Katie replied, confused at her sister's nervous state.

"Yeah, but I'm out of vodka and need another drink."

"She wants to see her girlfriend." Effy looked smug. She stared at Emily, who sighed. They'd managed to go three hours and get through two bottles of vodka without the fact that she was meeting Naomi being brought up.

"Is this fucking Campbell? Seriously, you like her? You're a Fitch, you could do much better than her Em."

"Shut up Katie. I just. I don't know... For fucks sake, I sound like a 12 year old girl. My stomach feels weird around her. I get butterflies." Emily let a smile play at her lips, knowing it would be impossible to fight against.

Katie looked at her, slightly disgusted. "Are you sure it's not nausea?"

"Fuck off Katie, it's butterflies."

"It's love." Effy repeated, only to receive a death stare from Emily. _'Not in front of Bitch Fitch!'_ it said.

"You fucking love her? Ew, you've only met her once."

"Twice." Effy chimed in. "They had coffee."

"Not helping Eff!" Emily said loudly, trying to stop the conversation from escalating. "Just finish your drinks and we'll get going."

"She didn't deny it." Effy whispered to Katie, as the trio got ready to leave.

Emily looked at the others, knowing she was the topic of their hushed discussion, but chose to ignore it. She trudged down the steps of her apartment to the front door, closely followed by Effy and Katie, armed with her bag and key. She grabbed the door knob, turning it and pulling the old wooden door open.

Katie grinned. "Just for the record babe, that's the only knob you're ever going to touch. Enjoy it."

* * *

The three girls walked to the pub; Naomi and Emily in front, and Katie trailing behind a little, talking to somebody on the other end of her phone line. The air was cool and refreshing, and helped calm Emily down – as did the four glasses of double up vodka and cokes she'd consumed before she left. She wasn't really sure if Naomi wanted her there, and spent most of the journey caught up in her thoughts. _'She wants you there Emily, she fucking kissed you.'_ She reassured herself as she walked. Yet negative thoughts still managed to make their way into her mind. _'She's going with friends. Who are they? What if Naomi was just being polite? Does she actually like me, or just find me attractive? Is that important? What if she doesn't like me? What if I'm too much like Katie? What if-'_

"Get out of your head." Effy spoke quietly, and didn't look at Emily as she spoke, but the younger twin knew it was directed at her. Partly because the older twin was still too busy talking to her mobile to care about anything Effy or Emily had to say.

Emily's response was just as short and vague. "Can't help it. You know?"

Effy nodded. "Just think about something else."

"It's difficult." Emily replied, memories taunting her as she spoke. Their conversation was simple, yet incredibly deep.

"The past is the past. Naomi's a good one."

"How do you know?"

"I just do." She comforted Emily – in a strange, and very indirect way. Emily knew what she meant. Fortunately, Katie was still too engrossed in the conversation with one of the many boys she had drooling over her to notice anything else that was going on around her.

"Thanks." Emily smiled, turning to face Effy. Effy glanced back, a smile on her own face. They turned the corner, finally reaching the street on which the pub was. The redhead glanced at her watch. 8:15pm. Naomi would still be working. She was glad to have company, even if one of them was the brown haired girl than analysed her every move, and the other was her flirtatious twin that would fuck anything with a pulse and a penis. Despite their flaws, they were still there with her.

"Let's go inside." Katie said, finally putting her phone back in her bag.

"We're early." Emily's shiver contradicted her thoughts about wanting to stay outside a little longer.

"You can't be early for the pub babe. It's called a public house, it's for whoever the fuck wants to go in there." Katie's voice was hard, but she had a point. Emily shrugged, and followed her twin inside.

* * *

It was busier than earlier inside, unsurprisingly. The music was loud, the atmosphere was exciting, and there were a lot of people dancing on the makeshift dancefloor. There was a crowd standing around the bar, waiting to be served, and Emily's eyes scanned over the bar in the search for the blonde haired girl who'd already taken over her brain. Katie spotted a spare table in the corner, and jogged over awkwardly after throwing a five pound note at Effy and informing her to "get me whatever." The heels that were previously clacking around Emily's hallways no longer made a noise over the music that filled the room. It felt more like a club than a pub now.

Effy smiled at Emily, pulling out her own purse and nodding in the direction of the bar. Emily agreed, taking a nervous breath, and followed Effy. They managed to find their way to the front of the crowd; Effy playing the innocent card, and watching men of all ages swoon over her vulnerability and allowing her to take their place. If anybody could make convincing dirty minded guys to give them their place in a bar queue just from her appearance look remotely graceful, it was Effy. She dragged Emily after her; the redhead didn't feel quite as comfortable being watched by perverted men, but if it would get her to Naomi, it was worth it.

Eventually, the pair got to the bar. Sure enough, Naomi was still working; this time she seemed to have redone her hair and makeup, and was accompanied by two other servers. The first was a tall tanned boy with dark hair, and mysterious eyes. Emily recognised him immediately. "Hey Eff? You didn't tell me Freddie worked here." She shouted, but used a slightly hushed tone. It was unnecessary; it would have been impossible for him to hear them over the noise.

Effy nodded. "Hey Ems?"

"What?" Emily asked, confused.

"Freddie works here." Effy smiled. "He just started."

"That why we've never been here before?" Emily smiled, grateful that this was one of the rare occasions that she could read Effy. The brunette nodded, but failed to look at Emily. Instead, she was smiling at Freddie, who had noticed the pair, and was finishing serving a customer.

Before he got a chance to serve them, they were approached by someone else; a girl. She was very petite, and had long, dark hair, that hung in ringlets. Her eyes were a shocking green colour, and complimented her face perfectly. It was safe to say that this girl was very pretty. Effy smiled, but refused her service, explaining briefly why. If Katie was with them she'd have gone wild at Effy ignoring the possibility of getting drinks. However, within a minute, Freddie was taking their order. Effy and Freddie talked for a few minutes, while he poured out three pints. Emily's attention on the other hand was still held by the beautiful blonde serving the other side of the bar. She hadn't noticed Emily's presence yet, and was absent-mindedly working away, serving customers calmly. Emily could see her mouthing along to the lyrics of the song that was blasting through the building.

As though she could feel eyes burning on her, Naomi looked around. She noticed Emily, who was thankful that the room was dark enough to hide her flushed cheeks. A smile spread across her face, as she ignored the other customers and made her way towards Emily.

"Wow, you brush up good!" Naomi said, smiling as she held her arms out to hug Emily. It was an awkward over-the-bar hug, but it was warm, and Emily felt a surge of electricity and excitement as she felt Naomi's hands brush against her bare back. "What time is it?" She asked.

Emily felt embarrassed at coming so early. "It's 8:30" she said, exaggerating the time a little. "I got dragged down with friends anyway, so I'm a bit early."

Naomi grinned, as though she was genuinely happy to see Emily. She wasn't sure what to say; she felt a bit guilty to be honest, as though she'd pressured Emily into coming down to see her. _"I got dragged down with friends."_ The words wouldn't leave her head. _"Dragged."_ She felt as though she was breaking the rule she'd set herself - _'Don't be too forward.' _

"It's nice to see you." Emily broke the small silence, reassuring Naomi.

"Yeah, you too. Definitely." Her eyes were locked onto Emily's dark, soft ones. She nervously tore them away, looking down at her hands and fidgeting. "So, who did you come down with? Anyone I might know?"

"Well, my sister's here. And my friend Effy." She turned to her right, to see Effy a few feet away from her. Naomi hadn't even noticed the brunette watching them.

"You know Effy?" She asked, giving her a small wave and a smile.

"Yeah... How do you know Effy?" Emily was confused. Effy had given no indication at all that she'd known exactly who Emily had been talking about the whole afternoon.

"That's actually who I'm meeting. Her and a few of the lads. We went to school together-" Naomi was interrupted by Paul coming through the staff door. "Fuck, I'd better get back to work. I'll speak to you soon." Naomi smiled, gently running her hand over Emily's, which lay across the bar, as she moved on to serve the next customer.

Emily grabbed her own hand, wiping the smile off her face, before turning to Effy angrily.

"Before you talk." Effy gestured to the four shot glasses and plate of lemons that lay on the bar, along with a container with the label 'table salt'. Emily obliged, knowing it was the only way she'd get to speak. The pair had a shot of tequila each. Salt. Shot. Lemon. They paused, both taking a sip of their drinks, before repeating. Salt. Shot. Lemon. Emily squeezed her eyes shut as she bit the lemon. She threw the remains onto the plate, not hesitating in confronting Effy.

"You didn't tell me you fucking know her Eff!" Emily said, though her words came out as more shocked than angry.

"You didn't ask." She raised her eyebrows at the redhead with a small smile playing at her lips, who in return looked at her suspiciously. _"Naomi's a good one."_ Effy's words from the walk over rang in her ears, and she suddenly felt a lot more confident. Whether it was due to the two shots of tequila she'd just consumed kicking in or because she had more of a reason to believe that Naomi really did like her, she wasn't entirely sure. But weirdly, Emily did know that she was feeling a lot better already.

* * *

**Back from the mysterious place they call Bristol. I spent most of the weekend drunk, so I'm having a major crash at the minute. What better time to do more FanFic writing?**

**This chapter wasn't particularly exciting, but I feel it's fairly important anyway.**

**This time, major thanks go out to all the silent readers. I've been informed there's a few of you out there, who just aren't the review-writing types. I love you people!**

**Along with, of course, my new and old reviewers. I feel like such a tit, sitting at my laptop reading them and grinning like a loon. It's awesome. Love to you all! Next chapter is already being written, and should be up rather quickly.**


	6. Confidence Kicks In

Emily followed Effy to the table that Katie had claimed a few minutes earlier. She set her pint down, and watched Effy do the same with hers and Katie's. Katie had already set her sight on someone across the dance floor; a young guy, about 25 he looked. She was smiling at him, flipping her hair and making prolonged eye contact. Emily ignored her and drank her pint quickly, while she tried to keep a conversation with Effy. It was difficult.

Effy had never been much of a talker. She preferred to observe people. It was a lot easier getting to know somebody through watching them than it was speaking to them. In conversation, people always try to big themselves up – make themselves look better. But when being watched, she could learn a lot more. For example, with Emily. She could describe how she felt about Naomi in as much detail as she could. But seeing the way her eyes lit up and the awkward twitching at just the mention of Naomi's name could show Effy a lot more.

The uncomfortable silence between her and a person was sometimes enough to drive them away. Another positive. Effy wanted nothing to do with somebody who couldn't stand ten seconds without having to speak. Except in the case of Katie Fitch, who's first response was so entertaining that she felt they'd get along. "Fucking hell, maybe you should take a picture, it would last longer. I've got a twin who's a dyke, if that's what you're into."

Although they could have easily started up a conversation about something, it would probably be completely irrelevant to their situation. Emily and Effy both knew it was much easier just to let Katie talk continuously, until they were all drunk enough that it was acceptable to stop talking completely and dance.

Emily drank her drink a little quicker than usual, as Katie continued to list the endless guys that 'wanted some Fitch'. Effy didn't choose to catch up. Instead, she drank her drink slower than she normally would. Emily was looking for a reason to go back to the bar, and Effy didn't want to interrupt that.

* * *

"I'm going to get another drink," Emily said as she finished the final drags of her pint. She looked at her watch again. She had ten minutes. "Anyone want anything?"

The others shook their heads, as Emily stood up. She swayed a little, feeling the effects of the alcohol kick in strongly. She composed herself, adjusting her hair and dress, as she walked over to the bar, which was now a lot less busy; most of the queue had been served, and had made their way over to the dance floor. She was served quickly. The beautiful blonde who hadn't left her mind all day approached her with a grin. "Hello stranger. What do you fancy?"

_'You.'_ She didn't say that. Instead, she replaced her thoughts with "I'll take a double vodka and coke please." Immediately after asking, she regretted not speaking her mind – even if her mind was drunk, and feeling very dirty.

"Would you like anything else with that?" Naomi asked professionally, but with a mischievous smile.

Confidence filled Emily. She paused for a moment, before deciding to be risky. A cheeky grin spread across her face. "I wouldn't mind a kiss."

"I'll have to charge extra for that." Naomi said, adding a cheeky wink. _'Don't be too forward.'_ Naomi repeated this to herself. _'Don't be too forward. Don't be too forward.'_

"Oh. Then no thanks, not worth it." Emily said with a smirk. Naomi opened her mouth in shock, but an unmistakable smile played at her lips. "Oh, go on then." Emily licked her lips quickly as she leaned across the bar and closed her eyes, kissing Naomi softly; tenderly. She pulled away, her dark eyes locked with Naomi's sharp blue ones, before she bit her lip playfully and averted her gaze to the blonde's lips again. "Yeah, okay. I guess I'd pay extra for that," Emily added, her head spinning and a smile spread across her face. She handed a £10 note to Naomi, who looked down at it before holding her hands up in rejection.

"This one's on me." Naomi said. She leaned over the counter again, holding her hand up and cupping Emily's ear as though she was telling her a secret. "Hopefully you'll be on me later, too." _'What happened to not being too forward?' _Her brain 'd whispered it softly, flirtatiously, and Emily's heart started to race. She could already feel herself getting hot and wet; her knees felt a little weak and buckled at the thought that she could be witnessing the beautiful Naomi Campbell completely naked, writhing at Emily's touch. Emily closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath to control herself. The blonde smiled, relieved, and knowing exactly what effect she had on the redhead, before raising her eyebrows and smiling an infectious smile. "Who's next?" She said, continuing to serve, as Emily took a seat on a recently deserted bar stool, watching Naomi work.

"I'll have what she had!" A man said, who had clearly witnessed the whole conversation and kiss they'd previously had; he looked about fifty, and seemed very drunk. Naomi's eyes widened in shock, and Emily couldn't hold back a laugh, before standing up again and interrupting the conversation.

"Sorry mate, that blonde's reserved for me. But nice try." She looked at Naomi, who verbally said nothing, but gave Emily a look. '_Thank you.' _Emily smiled back at her, knowing that if she wasn't at work Naomi would probably have had the guy on the floor apologising by now. But she didn't want Naomi to get into any trouble with Paul.

"Aww come on, I'll give both of you a go. I don't mind sharing my toys." The man continued, Emily finding this comment less humorous, and more sickening.

"Unfortunately, I don't share though." Emily stood up to him, ignoring the nauseating wink he gave her as he spoke. He stepped closer to her, the music loud and blocking out most of the noise around her. However it wasn't loud enough to deafen the drunk man's heavy breathing, and she could still smell the stench of whisky and beer on his breath.

He stepped forward, Emily refusing to step back and seem weaker or vulnerable. Naomi watched carefully, trying to serve drinks without taking her eyes off the situation, while people around the bar yelled abuse at her for not serving quick enough. "Come on baby. Loosen up." The man lowered his hand, wrapping it around Emily's waist and sliding it down.

"I suggest you take your hand away right now, mate." She said calmly. Her request was ignored. The man sneered at her, lowering his hand further and squeezing Emily's backside. Naomi looked over, seeing what was happening, and immediately started to yell at him.

"Get off her you fucking perve!" she yelled from the other side of the bar, knocking off a glass as she did so. A few of the younger people waiting to be served jeered at her, in an attempt to embarrass her. Emily stayed calm.

"Naomi, it's okay. I know what to do." She smiled at Naomi, who felt surprisingly comforted, even though the man was still standing opposite her, groping the beautiful redhead who'd been on her lips just moments ago. Emily turned back to the man, staring him down. "I did warn you" she said, her voice laced with a venom that was extremely rare in this Fitch. Within seconds, Emily had clenched her fist and swung wildly at the man, who was clearly taken back at her feistiness. He received a harsh blow to the nose, causing a stream of red blood to run down his face and collect in his lips and the corners of his mouth. He stumbled backwards into a wall, taking a moment to pull himself back onto his feet, so he could support himself, before wiping his nose with the back of his hand. The man stared Emily down, who stood her ground, only averting her gaze briefly to wink reassuringly at a shocked Naomi.

He walked up to Emily, feeling slightly more intimidated but trying hard not to show it. "Shame baby. It would have been fun." He said bravely, before heading towards the exit. Mistake. Within seconds, he'd received another blow, this time in an area that Emily wouldn't have dreamed of going near. However it wasn't Emily who had thrown this one. He yelled out in pain, clutching his groin as his eyes welled up. "What the fuck? Who the fuck do you think you are you little cunt?" He spat, angrily, blood running down his face as he held his crotch.

"I'm Katie fucking Fitch, who the fuck are you!" Katie spat straight back, matching his tone. "Don't go near my sister or her girlfriend again you creep, or I'll touch you in your special region again. And I don't play nice when I'm pissed off."

"What's going on?" Paul's voice bellowed through the now quieter pub as he came through the staff door. The music was still blasting, but the attention of a number of customers was focused on the situation by the bar. The elder twin and the man shared a look, both clearly still angry, as Naomi and a few witnesses briefly explained what had happened. "Naomi, take Emily and Katie into the back room, check you're all alright. And you-" Paul looked at the man, who was still sitting on the floor, blood still streaming down his face "-if you're not too embarrassed to come back as it is, you're barred. Get the fuck out of my pub."

Within seconds two bouncers had barged into the pub and pulled the man to his feet, dragging him out of the door.

* * *

**AN: Shit is going down in The Old Palace! Due to the interest in Effy I've been seeing, I thought I'd take a bit of a dip into her mind. Hope you enjoyed the slight detour. **

**I'm sorry this chapter is quite delayed, I've been spending some time with a rather wonderful lady and my mind and hands have been preoccupied... Texting her of course, don't be so dirty minded! **

**Usual thanks go out to readers and reviews, old and new, I do so love you all, and am running out of ways to thank you. ****But I really, thank you still, your interest in this whole ordeal really makes me grin! :)**

**Next chapter will be up as soon as possible, lovely people. **


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